Purple Roses
by sarkywoman
Summary: After a death in the Scooby Gang, a broken-heart is left to deal.


Purple Roses  
  
Notes: Fluffy slash, get your hankies.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. It belongs to those much, much, much greater than I. And yes, I am kissing butt. Don't sue, I have nothing.  
  
Summary: After a death in the Scooby Gang, a broken-heart is left to deal.  
  
Pairing: I'm not gonna tell you, nya nya nya nya nya.  
  
Rating: I feel I am not worthy of such great judgement. Could someone please recommend a rating? Could be R, I warn you. But no smut.  
  
Buffy walked up to the gravestone with tears in her eyes. The funeral had been today. Well, the evening anyway. Angel had wanted to come, as had Spike. That had been a shock. Buffy had gone into the crypt to see if Dawn was ready to go, and she could have sworn Spike was crying. Not that he'd ever admit it.  
  
She sighed and knelt down next to the cold marble. She traced the letters with her fingertips.  
  
Xander Harris.   
  
1980-2000.  
  
Devoted friend to all,  
  
He will be sorely missed  
  
The tears continued to make tracks down her face as she looked at the flowers laid on his grave. They were roses. His favourite. Xander hadn't liked them to talk about that, he thought it was too girly. But it wasn't.  
  
There was a white rose she had placed earlier. A white rose for a white knight. Angel had told her some of the many things Xander had done for her without her realising, it had made her love him more than ever. As a friend. Even with all this, she couldn't think of him in that way. Which was probably just as well.  
  
The pink rose was from Willow. She had told Buffy that she had chosen pink due to something Xander had told her when they were younger. He had been choosing what plants they would be. Jesse wanted to be an oak tree, Xander a Venus flytrap, Willow a dandelion. Xander had said, "Willow, you're too pretty for that. You can be a rose, they're my favourite."  
  
Willow had replied, "Which colour?"  
  
Xander had said, "pink. I always look after them ones `cos they're delicate and pretty."  
  
Willow had cried while telling Buffy her story. Buffy had too.  
  
All the other roses on the grave were red, he liked them ones best. Well, except purple, but you couldn't get.....  
  
Buffy stopped in her tracks and picked up the purple rose, looking at it curiously. Someone had managed to dye a rose in Xander's favourite colour. It had to be someone close to him. She would have said Anya, but even though she came to the funeral, she hadn't been devastated. They had broken up a couple of months ago. So who could this be from?  
  
She turned the rose over, looking for one of the messages that everybody had attached. She found a small discreet tag. She read it, and almost dropped the rose in surprise.  
  
I love you Xan,  
  
See you at sunrise,  
  
Spike.  
  
She placed the rose down gently and then turned and ran to Spike's crypt at an enormous speed. He was sitting on the floor outside, tears running down his face, half-empty vodka bottle in one hand. She could tell that he'd probably had others. She knelt down next to him. "Spike, get inside before the sun comes up."  
  
He turned his head slowly towards her, focused and said, "no."  
  
Buffy began tugging at his arm. "Come on Spike, you have to, for Xander's sake!"  
  
He shook his head sadly. "Nope. I'm not as strong as him, you see. He'll forgive me for it, I know he will."  
  
Buffy sighed and looked at the vampire in front of her. How could people always make you think you know them, then do something so unexpected? She suddenly knew with clarity that she wouldn't be able to save Spike. The way he was seeing it, this was all he had left. This was the only way he could find Xander. "Were you together?"  
  
Spike nodded and smiled. "I'm surprised you lot didn't notice. I never left his side."  
  
Then his smile faded. "Except that one night you were all going on patrol and I was tired so I stayed behind. We had a quick kiss, and I told him to be careful."  
  
Spike sniffed as a new wave of tears started to run from his eyes. "Those were the last words I said to my Xan. I was watching TV, and my Xan was bleedin' to death in the middle of a cold soddin graveyard. He weren't supposed to go like that. I was supposed to be there. I could have been holding him."  
  
Buffy was crying by now. It was obvious that they had loved each other deeply. Spike took another swig from his drink and turned to Buffy. "I don't suppose you could do something for me?"  
  
Buffy nodded her head. "What?"  
  
Spike sighed. "When I'm dust, could you...you know, sprinkle me over his, um...grave?"  
  
Buffy nodded again. "Of course."  
  
Spike gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Slayer."  
  
Buffy smiled back. "Spike?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't know if you've realised this, but you're the longest surviving vampire who has had multiple run-in's with the Slayer. Including Angel, after all, I sent him to Hell. In the Watcher's Diaries I've read, you're written down as a legend. I, um, just thought you'd like to know."  
  
Spike nodded. "Yeah, that's cool."  
  
He shuddered. Buffy frowned. "You okay?"  
  
Spike nodded. "Vampire reflexes. Almost sunrise."  
  
"Oh...good luck. Send my love."  
  
Spike smiled. "Okay."  
  
Buffy saw the first rays of the morning sun and turned away, getting an empty purse from her pocket. She heard a faint sigh behind her, then the sound of vampire dust. She had heard it so many times, now she'd never think about it the same way. She turned and collected some of the dust that was all that showed Spike had ever existed. Looking up, she thought she saw two faint glows fading away in the distance. She didn't quite know how, but they seemed happy.  
  
She walked slowly to Xander's grave, deep in thought. When she got there, she saw Angel. She wasn't at all shocked. A Sire shared a bond with their Childe. She raised Spike to Angel slightly. "Do you want to..."  
  
Angel cut her off. "No, he asked you."  
  
Buffy smiled gently and scattered Spike's dust on Xander's grave. She had expected the breeze to blow the dust away, but it didn't, it couldn't. Xander and Spike were together now, they wouldn't be apart again.  
  
The purple rose's petals blew gently in the wind.  
  
THE END 


End file.
